(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the
public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government
corruption and abuse, said today that documents turned over by the
Commerce Department, under court order as a result of Judicial
Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning the
activities of the Cheney Energy Task Force, contain a map of Iraqi
oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as 2 charts
detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi
Oilfield Contracts.” The documents, which are dated March 2001, are
available on the Internet at: www.JudicialWatch.org.

The Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates (UAE)
documents likewise feature a map of each country’s oilfields,
pipelines, refineries and tanker terminals. There are supporting
charts with details of the major oil and gas development projects in
each country that provide information on the projects, costs,
capacity, oil company and status or completion date.

Judicial Watch has been seeking these documents under
FOIA since April 19, 2001. Judicial Watch was forced to file a
lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
(Judicial Watch Inc. v. Department of Energy, et al., Civil Action
No. 01-0981) when the government failed to comply with the
provisions of the FOIA law. U.S. District Court Judge Paul J.
Friedman ordered the government to produce the documents on March 5,
2002.

The documents were produced in response to Judicial
Watch’s on-going efforts to ensure transparency and accountability
in government on behalf of the American people. Judicial Watch
aggressively pursues those goals by making FOIA requests and seeking
access to public information concerning government operations. When
the government fails to abide by these “sunshine laws” Judicial
Watch files lawsuits in order to obtain the requested information
and to hold responsible government officials accountable.

“These documents show the importance of the Energy
Task Force and why its operations should be open to the public,”
stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.